


Surviving Five Nights

by Jakaboi



Series: Protection Verse [3]
Category: Five nights at freddys - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: AU, Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Egos AU, Gen, Protection Verse, Random Encounters FNAF the Musical inspired, very very mild horror elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-18 06:38:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14847674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jakaboi/pseuds/Jakaboi
Summary: Something foul is going on at Freddy Fazbear's. With creepy worn, old animatronics wandering around at night, something sinister creeping down the hall, and more questions cropping up with each passing night, maybe Yan should have considered getting another job.





	1. Night 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yan (Yandereplier) is non-binary and prefers they/them pronouns but is not going to out themselves to every new person they encounter. They typically present more masc due to lifelong issues with being comfortably out but they are just as comfortable in a skirt and killer heels as they are in more typically masc clothes.
> 
> Also, due to personal discomfort with writing obsessive characters, I will not be pushing Yan to high levels of obsession as is typical of yandereplier. I have figured out their character and I won't be making them meek or completely unrecognisable but for my own mental health, I cannot write them as they usually are.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doesn't every new job kind of feel like this?

The animatronics are banging against the door to the security office, trying their damnedest to get in. Foxy is throwing itself against the door but the door is not shifting, designed to keep out near anything by the look of its design. Yan is stood in the middle of the office, wielding the spinny office chair, sweating profusely and visibly struggling as they yell to the door.

“GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!”

They just needed a simple job. Something that could earn them some money towards rent this month, to stave off homelessness and hunger. At no point has there been any mention of monstrous monsters trying to break down the door and tear out their lungs.

Yan’s head rolls and the chair falls from their hands, clattering against the floor and they swear. Shit. It’s too warm in here. The air is too close and they’re starting to wheeze. The ventilation must be fucked but that leaves the only means of air circulation as the door and that’s the only thing holding out the animatronics.

“Get-get away!” like their energy, the volume in their voice is draining away and with each passing second, the thought of curling up on the floor just feels like a such a great idea. 

Within minutes Yan falls to their knees, and shortly thereafter the power shuts off. Power cut? Is there a storm outside? Did someone drive a truck into the generator? The lack of oxygen in the room is making Yan’s thoughts a little less than coherent. They’ve forgotten that the building runs on a generator overnight to minimise the fire risk in the under code building.

The door whooshes open and Yan groggily reaches for the chair, knowing that shit is about to go down, but they can’t get their fingers to latch on. A huge blast of fresh air wafts in and Yan is caught off guard, taking a big gasping breath, and collapsing to all fours. Fuck.

The shunting sound of four old, worn, beloved animatronics stomping into the room fills the air. Yan can only watch as they enter, Bonnie first, followed by Freddy, then Foxy, then Chica. They make various noises at each other. though they’re limited, the robots having a very small selection of pre-recorded noises, as well as parts that are probably in dire need of replacing.

Yan glances up at Freddy who stands immediately in front of them “H-hey Freddy.” they manage to stutter out. Freddy watches, tilting his head before a whirring sound strikes up within his chest and then a song begins to play.

It sounds like one of those little music boxes Yan’s grandma used to have in her bedroom as it carefully plays the toreador march. The music is oddly reassuring and Yan’s resistance drips away as the night guard drops to the floor. Listening to the music, Yan realises that it’s so easy to just lay here. To breathe and listen and from down here, not paying direct attention, the strange noises that the animatronics start to make at each other, kind of sounds like they’re talking. Nothing that Yan specifically understands but they’re definitely communicating.

It isn’t long before Yan loses consciousness.

* * *

  
“Hey! Hey Han!” There’s an insistent tapping on their face as a concerned voice drags them to the surface of consciousness. “Are you alright?”

“It’s Yan.” they groan, shifting, feeling every pull on their muscles and instantly regretting everything that led them to this moment. Yan opens their eyes and blinks against the light to see AJ, the day shift worker, leaning over them. Together they manage to get Yan to their feet.

There’s no sign of anything in the office being out of place, and a quick flip of the cameras shows all the animatronics on the stage ready to start their day’s work. The fan is somehow still spinning and the clock on the desk shows it’s 06:23. Shift over.

“Geez man. Did you leave the door closed all night?” AJ, satisfied that Yan is back with the living, moves around them and checks the system. Sure enough, the power went out due to excessive use of the door. Thankfully, the system’s failsafes made sure that everything worked out in the end. “You know, you really shouldn’t do that. This place has like  _no_  ventilation.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” they grumble as they head for the door. They want out of here.

“Hey Yan.” AJ calls looking surprisingly chipper for a guy who’s starting work at 6am. Yan turns. “If you’re not up to any of your other shifts this week, I don’t mind covering them.”

Yan considers taking the offer for the moment but there’s a slight itch in the back of their brain and they shake their head. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”


	2. Night 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something draws them back to Fazbear's. What the hell is going on?

Yan barely sleeps that day, their mind racing every time they put their head down. They can’t shift the feeling that there’s something about last night they’re missing. Sure it was scary as all hell, but those things got in and they didn’t tear Yan to pieces. There’s something they’re missing.

Since sleep seems to be a no-go, Yan instead resolves to clean out the closet where they keep their various weapons. The collection began as a precaution. Growing up, Yan has often needed to know how to defend themself. People aren’t always so accepting and Yan learned quickly that sometimes the best defence is a strong offence. Soon Yan was proficient with every weapon within this closet and having that kind of skill is pretty damn satisfying.

You know, Freddy Fazbears isn’t the most upscale of places. And Yan  _is_  working as a security guard. Going in there in the dead of night, armed, nobody’ll question it. Yan puts a few guns into a duffel bag and dumps it by the front door before they finally pass out around mid afternoon. Tonight, they’ll be prepared.

Midnight. Shift starts. The building should be empty of everything except the animatronics and the armed night guard.

Tonight the door stays open and Yan watches as Freddy, the clod-hopping animatronic that the kiddies seem to love, make his way towards the office. Chica and Bonnie stay on the stage while Foxy stays tucked away. 

The duffel remains closed as Yan watches him, hearing the sounds from down the corridor. When Freddy stands in the doorway and stares at him, his speakers give a low distorted laugh. They reach down, unzipping the duffel and pulling out one of the guns, holding it up, showing it to Freddy. After a moment, Freddy steps back to point down the corridor, away from the stage, in the direction of the restaurant’s main entrance.

At the end of the hallway, hiding in the shadows there’s a figure. It looks like another animatronic, not one that Yan recognises. More decrepit, more decayed, taller…? It actually looks way more human than any of the others. Yan steps into the corridor raising the gun, not noticing Freddy fall back.

“Hey there friend.” They call out. When they listen, they hear a low grunty wheezing sound and it doesn’t take a genius to guess where it’s coming from. “Sounds like you could use an inhaler there. I don’t have one but maybe I can help.”

Yan lets off three shots but either they miss or they bounce off because the thing at the end of the corridor starts to move forward.  “Shit.” they turn to Freddy. “Run!” the animatronic doesn’t need telling twice and is making tracks, letting out his low laugh as he goes.

Shot after shot rings out, seemingly useless as it continues to come forward, awkward wheezing and groaning getting louder and Yan gives up pretty quickly, dashing into the office to grab the duffel before it gets close. As they come they hear something smash but don’t stop to take a look at what before just legging it to the main party room.

“Move you stupid hunk of metal!” Yan yells at Freddy as they start to come up.  "This fucker ain’t messing around.”

They burst through into the main party room and Yan screams for the others, still in place, to scatter, watching as they all move painfully slow towards another part of the restaurant. They’re really not quick which means it’s up to Yan to keep the thing busy while they scarper.

They turn, waiting, pointing the weapon at the swing doors, another clipped onto their belt. Seconds tick by as they wait for it to show itself. It must be just as slow as the animals. That or it’s a master of suspense. Nervously Yan takes a step back.

When the door opens, Yan doesn’t hesitate letting loose multiple rounds, barely aiming seriously freaked. The body slumps to the ground and Yan’s eyes go wide as they see a mop fall beside it. Weird creepy characters that sneak around in the shadows don’t tend to carry a mop.

“Oh shit.”

The janitor is not in a good way and Yan has to make the call to 911. The cops sweep the building but insist that Freddy and friends are the only ones there. So on go the handcuffs and Yan is dragged from the building protesting their innocence. There’s something inhuman in those walls! Yan isn’t crazy! They saw it! It’s there!

They’re bundled into the back seat of the cruiser while the cops climb into the front. As Yan looks to the restaurant they see Freddy and friends stood at the window, Freddy’s hand placed firmly against the glass. The female cop calls through to dispatch on the radio. “Unit 236 investigating the disturbance at Freddy Fazbear’s. We’ve got him.” they start to read from the licence they claimed from Yan’s pockets. “Yanis Cutler, male,” Yan scowls, “Local boy shooting up the place. Janitor shot. Possible attempted murder. Probably some little hellboy wannabe.”

Yan leans forward and clings to the cage separating the front from the back. “Can you  _not_?” they state firmly. Sure they’re getting arrested but that’s no excuse for the whole boy boy boy thing.

She looks at them strangely, clearly not understanding the simple request to stop with the overly gendered language. She raises the radio again. “Mark him as potentially hostile.” With a groan, they sit back in their seat. Another lost battle.

As they drive, Yan has time to think on the fact that they’re staring down the barrel of a murder charge. But more than that, Yan got this job from a paper that Rowan had left behind last time they’d crossed paths. This night guard job had been circled and Yan figured it was worth a try. Simple job, easy hours, overly friendly animatronics and… _something_ …. Does Rowan know about that thing? Why would he want to work there?

Eventually the car pulls into a parking lot and the officer turns, joking for Yan to stay put. Yan gives a sarcastic laugh and smile but frowns as soon as she’s gone. Yeah. That’s not going to happen.

This isn’t the first time Yan’s been arrested and reaching up, they pull a bobby pin from their hair. Sometimes you’re struck by the need to adjust your hair and it’s just easier to have the things you need immediately to hand, than have to go searching in your pockets. The cuffs pop open without a problem and Yan moves to the door. It’s 6am, the cop seems pretty damn unprofessional, this is a pretty small town. 3 times out of 5, the cops haven’t got the child lock activated on the back doors and if Yan is lucky… They pull on the handle and the door opens. Jackpot.

With the door open, Yan makes a break for it. Well that’s the job fucked. Attempted murder, resisting arrest, nowhere in this town will hire him now.

Six streets away, Yan stops. There’s a tickle in the back of their brain. The same one from previous morning. The same one that drew them back tonight. The feeling that there’s something going on there. Something more. What the fuck has Rowan got himself into to? Yan ducks into an alleyway, just in case any one is following them. There’s more to this, but right now Yan has to focus on not getting caught.

“Fuck Freddy Fazbear’s” they mutter.


	3. Night 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Rowan do any better?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For clarification, Rowan is my interpretation of robo!Nate, mostly inspired by the music video Can't Take Me Anywhere. He's a high end robot, almost equivalent in power to the Googles but not intended to serve the same purpose as them.

“Sleep well kid.”

Putting down the recently rewound music box beside the still and silent puppet, Rowan sighs. It’s been a few years since he was last here and he hopes the poor kid isn’t still trapped in there. He can’t imagine any worse fate for them. Unfortunately that’s not what brought the bot back here. Maybe another time.

The halls are strangely silent as he strolls through them, his flashlight staying by his side since his highly sensitive eyes mean he can see pretty clearly without it. As he moves through to the main party room, he sees Freddy and friends in their usual position on the stage. Getting closer, it becomes obvious that they’re starting to show their age. Wearing down and falling apart. Rowan’s eyes flash with anger. Of course this place doesn’t have somebody maintaining them. That would just involve some level of responsibility that Fazbear’s not capable of.

“Freddy.” Rowan says firmly, doing his best to hide his frustration. Freddy drops his frozen pose, as do Bonnie and Chica, as they all cluster around Rowan, all making their various noises at him until he raises his hands to quieten them. “Whoa whoa! One at a time! Wait, where’s Foxy?”

A loud "Arrrr” from the other side of the room draws Rowan’s attention to the ‘out of order’ Pirate’s Cove. The curtains drawn, Foxy’s head is poking out. “Well are you coming over? Or do I got to come and get you?”

As a suddenly excited Foxy charges at them, the other three animatronics back up, but Rowan stands firm. As Foxy collides with him, Rowan braces, his feet sliding across the floor from the force. “Yeah I missed you too buddy.” As they embrace, Rowan turns to Freddy. “So what’s the problem? Why am I here?”

* * *

Rowan watches the security footage with a slow sinking feeling. For months now, apparently, something has been sneaking through the shadows of Freddy Fazbear’s when people aren’t looking. Several missing children. It’s running the business into the ground and if the restaurant fails, then the animatronics will get scrapped. And given how old they are, it’s not going to be a pleasant end. No upcycling for them. No second wind. That’s it. Game over.

Behind him, the animatronics all stand, watching over his shoulder as something appears from nowhere again and approaches a lone child before dragging it away.

“This is bad.” Bonnie lets out a sad guitar twang in agreement. Chica gives a giggle and Rowan shakes his head. It can’t be Afton. They killed him last time Rowan was here, after he killed that poor kid and was preparing to skip town. They trapped him in one of those old Springlock suits, made sure it would make his death slow and agonising. Better than that monster deserved.

As he watches yet another abduction, Rowan realises its wishful thinking. Luring a child away from the crowd? That’s kind of Afton’s M.O. Very typical of him. It’s why the authorities would never have convicted him, he wasn’t stupid enough to leave any witnesses. He just never counted on the animatronics conspiring against him.

Rowan sits up suddenly, jumping to his feet, startling the animatronics around him. He turns to the door, still wide open. It won’t close while the animatronics are inside anyway, some sort of sensor system that stops it. There’s something there. Freddy and the gang are too old, they’d never sense a presence as slight as this but Rowan can feel it. Something waiting just beyond. It’s right there. Within seconds he’s crossed to the door and sticks his head out, just about catching something going round the corner at the end of the corridor, near the restaurant’s entrance.

Rowan rushes down the corridor, turning and expecting to run right into it but seeing nothing. He ends up running all the way round the entire restaurant, checking every room, twice. Whatever it was, it’s gone.

The animatronics are still in the office when he gets back, all shifting nervously, except Foxy who’s sat spinning in the chair. In spite of the confusion and potential danger right now, Rowan can’t help but smile. Foxy is like a giant five year old. They others are looking at him expectantly.

“I don’t know guys, I don’t know what I can do.”

Bonnie gives a ‘hey hey’, with Chica responding with ‘pizza time’. Freddy tilts his head and laughs again. Rowan frowns. “You want to bring in the gun-wielding maniac who got arrested after shooting Bert?” There’s a cacophonus response from everyone.

Rowan throws a glance at the computer on the desk. It would be pretty easy to break into Fazbear’s crappily secured database and get the guy’s address, see if he wants to help sort this problem out.

“I guess we can try.”


	4. Night 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still fairly new friends but still better than walking into a stranger's house.

After hanging around Fazbear’s during the day, just to make sure no more kids get snatched, Rowan heads for the address after his shift is supposed to start. The animatronics will be fine, Afton won’t attack them, and none of them will break out. They can go one night without a babysitter.

The door isn’t locked and Rowan carefully makes his way in. He’s knocked but there’s no response. Apparently that night guard broke out of police custody and the cops haven’t thought to check the perp’s house. Sometimes humans are just idiots.

“Hello?” He calls out. The place is a bit of a mess as he walks through it. The halls are dark but there’s a light coming from the main living area, apparently there’s a lamp on. As he goes to investigate there’s suddenly an arm around his neck.

“I’m not going to-!” a voice growls from behind him, but it cuts off and the hold loosens. “Rowan?”

As the hold loosens further, Rowan carefully draws away, his eyes going wide as he sees who’s grabbed him. “Yan?! Wait, your name is  _Yanis_?”

Yan is obviously drained, eyes a little sunken as they stand there, holding aloft a kitchen knife, the tips of their hair dyed a deep red color and frankly they look frazzled. “I killed a guy.” They say, clearly not entirely hearing the question.

Rowan isn’t quite sure how to handle what he’s seeing, honestly a little worried about how Yan looks right now. “Actually they say he’s going to make a complete recovery.”

It’s kind of evident by the amount of time it takes Yan to process Rowan’s words that they probably haven’t slept. “Attempted murder then.” When Rowan points to the sudden change in hair color, Yan throws their arms up in frustration. “I was arrested! I panicked! I don’t know what I’m doing!” They hold their hands to their face and make a frustrated noise,

It takes a little while to get the knife away from them, Rowan tossing it away to the side and guiding the poor former night guard to their own couch. Yan admits to finding the job listing in the paper Rowan left behind last time they met, and what starts as a calm explanation of a desperate jobless situation, gradually deteriorates into a tirade about panic, animatronics, some sneaky rabbit thing that made them attack another person, and a terror that any second now the police are going to break in and arrest them again.

Yan rubs a hand forcefully against their eye, clearly trying to stay awake. “Why are  _you_  here?”

It sounds harsh but given how Yan is, Rowan doesn’t take it personally and even feels kind of guilty as he speaks. “I need your help. Back at Fazbear’s”

Yan leaps away and to their feet again, holding up their hands defensively shaking their head and refusing to let Rowan get closer again. “No no! I am  _done_! I am  _not_  going back there!”

“It’ll be okay!”

Yan throws an arm towards the window. “There’s  _some_ thingcreeping around in there! And something else is  _messing_ with my head!” That itch, the urge to go back keeps scratching away at the base of their skull and their chest is a mess of need to go back pulling them in and a desire to survive pulling them away.

“Yan-”

“And what if I get there and the cops just grab me!”

“Yan!”

“They’ll lock me away and throw away the key and-!”

“YAN!” Rowan grabs their shoulders and forces them to look at him giving them a gentle shake to get them to just shut up and focus. “Don’t you want to prove that you didn’t mean to hurt that guy?”

“….That would be cool.”

“Freddy said you brought guns.” Yan mumbles something about wanting to be protected and Rowan gives a slight smirk. “He trusts you.  _I_  trust you, and we  _need_  your help.”

Yan stares at Rowan for a moment before glancing to the side. “Fine.” They finally agree and Rowan smiles, letting loose his hold. “I just need to get some things.” Yan disappears out the door, Rowan opting to wait in the living space, glancing around. It’s pretty small. Most people have photos of themselves with family and friends around but Rowan doesn’t see a single one.

“The restaurant will be opening soon.” He calls out deciding to just log that observation for dealing with later. “We’ll lay low, get you some sleep and go back tonight.”

“I’m not tired.” Yan’s voice calls from another room.

“You’re bad at lying.” Rowan calls back. “I’ll take you to my place. Nobody will come looking for us. You can just spend the day sleeping and we’ll take care of this tomorrow.”

Yan appears in the doorway a bag slung over their shoulder. “Your couch better be comfy.”

Rowan chuckles. “You’ll probably fall asleep on the doormat.”

Yan just glares. “Shut up and get me out of here.”


	5. Night 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yan and Rowan join forces. Does it work?

Yan reaches for the radio on their belt. “That’s the last exit secure.” they call through to Rowan. The other night guard is sat at the desk in the security office, going over the blueprints for the building.

So far they’ve figured out that the reason nobody sees this thing coming or going is because it’s coming from somewhere inside the restaurant, and the last thing they want is for the thing to break out.

_Good. Start your room-to-room sweep. I’ll follow you on the cameras._

Yan looks up to the nearest camera and gives it a glare. “Why am  _I_  the one looking for this apparent zombie-murderer thing?”

_Remind me, how much experience do you have with blueprints?_

They glare at the cameras a short while longer before they move and start the sweep. In each room, they search everywhere. Behind everything that moves, along every wall, over every ceiling. This thing is getting in here somehow and they need to figure out how.

After the first room, Yan moves on to the second, spending five minutes trying to move a surprisingly chunky gumball machine. Their radio crackles.

_So grumpy. What’ll it take for you to give me a smile?_

Yan’s cheeks flare red and they smirk as they remember the first time the two of them met. Yan dressed in one of their favorite dresses having been rejected by yet another would-be date. The usual bullshit of apparently not being into whatever Yan says they were. Except this time, it came after several months of happiness. They honestly thought this one would be different, only to find themselves dressed to the nines and alone in the gutter, yet again.

Rowan had seemed to come out of nowhere, asking what he had to do to get them to smile. He’d taken their hand and pulled them to their feet, brushed down the dress and pulled a small buttercup from his pocket. Rowan insisted that so long as Yan had that buttercup they wouldn’t be able to do anything but smile. A corny line but it turned the night around.

Since that night they meet up every once in a while. Talk, share, catch up. Yan doesn’t know if they have the buttercup still, but apparently remembering it is just as effective because their blush and smile give away their thoughts and Rowan chuckles over the radio.

The second room is clear, as is the third. As they enter the fourth room, Yan calls through on the radio. “I’m in that weird no-purpose room near the front doors.”

_I think we’re supposed to call it the atrium._

People come in the front doors, walk through this kind of semi-room, no doors but a doorway either end, and enter the main party room. It’s a transit room. “Is it me or is this the perfect room to hide something?”

_Is there something in there?_

Yan looks around. “Nothing.” No plants, no tables, no plug outlets, literally nothing here. “Which makes it the one room everyone will overlook when they’re passing through.”

_There’s nothing on the blueprints._

Yan ignores him and brushes their fingers against the walls. How many times have they thought about this room? Even once? Probably not. Holding a hand against one wall, they think about what has to be on the other side. Probably the bathrooms. They try to get the layout of this building clear in their head. Yeah, the bathrooms. They move to the opposite wall and put a hand against it. Now this one, this should be the outside wall right. They frown and reach for their radio.

“Hey Rowan?”

_Yep._

“You drive up to the lot, you see the main building, entrance to one end. Then there’s like, another room next to it right?” There’s a crackle of static as Rowan tries to remember.

The more they think on it, the more Yan becomes convinced. There is. This wall should be the end of the building but there’s something on the other side and Yan knows there’s no way to get to it through the rest of the building.

They run their hands across the wall, as far as they can, back and forth, feeling for even the slightest dent. It takes agonisingly long before they find a slight crack, barely perceptible in the wall. Their fingers follow it and after losing the trail more than once, they are just about able to make out a reasonably sized doorway.

“I think I found a secret room.” they call across the radio, glancing around for the cameras. “Can you see me?”

_Not really. You’re in a blind spot._

“Of course I am.”

_Are you sure you found it. Cause I’m looking at the blueprints, and there’s nothing there._

“I’m telling you, I’m looking at a doorway and I-” A loud yell from across the building cuts Yan off. “Rowan?” No answer. Yan takes the radio from their belt, raising it to their mouth and repeating “Rowan?” Nothing

“Fuck!” they mutter as they run into the main party room, almost tripping as they immediately see the monster, the Afton thing they think Rowan called it, stood in the doorway that leads to the security office, dragging Rowan along by his shoulder. “Oh fuck!”

With a mighty swing, it throws Rowan across the room, Yan instinctively ducking and swearing more. Rowan’s back hits the edge of the empty stage forcing a grunt from him as he drops to the floor. The animatronics probably scarpered the second they felt this thing on the move. Can’t blame them, but also they’re all cowards and should be ashamed.

Yan rushes to Rowan who’s managed to get up to his hands and knees, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and trying to pull him to his feet. “Flee now, pain later.” The Afton thing is starting to move towards them and Yan doesn’t want to find out just how good his pitch really is.

“Come on.” They stop when Rowan doesn’t move with them. “Rowan?”

“I-I ca-n’t see.”

Rowan’s voice is broken, sharp-edged, splitting his words as he speaks, fingers are glitching, spasming struggling to stay in one position. When Yan looks, Rowan’s eyes are unnaturally frozen, stuck, unmoving, gaze vacant, clearly seeing nothing and he reaches out, trying to orient himself in the dark.

Instinctively, Yan takes the hand, holding it, taking it all in, mind slowly ticking over what they’re seeing and they realise. “You’re a fucking robot!?!”

Rowan finally takes a firm hold of the front of Yan’s shirt. “R-Run fr-om z-ombie murder bot!”

Right! Run now, freak later! Taking a firm grip of the fritzing robot, Yan manages to drag him to his feet and away from the imminent death, doing their best not to think of how every exit from this building is secure and from an escape stand point, well there is none.

The two of them are barely across the room when loud heavy klonking footsteps catch up to them. In a panic, Yan pushes Rowan to throw him forward, hoping to protect him as Afton’s arm catches them, side swiping them and knocking them to the ground like they’re nothing.

“Yan? Yan!” Rowan cries. He hasn’t travelled far, stumbling to the floor, unable to hold himself, unable to defend himself, unable to see. Still twitching and glitching, he panics. “Yan!”

“I’m okay.” comes the strained response. Trapped in a restaurant with a bunch of robots, no escape, no plan, no clue, large amount of pain? Yeah everything’s fine!

Rolling over, Yan sees the Afton thing raise its foot, ready to stomp on Yan’s leg, probably intending to break it, when another voice calls out.

“Stop.” Smooth, cool, calm, collected. The murder bot freezes as it hears. The voice came from behind the murder bot, but from this angle Yan can’t see who it is, all they can see is the shadow they cast from the doorway on the other side of the room. Who else is here? Who has control of this thing? The way the lights work in this place, it’s impossible to see. “Bring the robot.”

As the murder bot begins to move again, Yan struggles, wincing as they rise to their feet and placing themself firmly in the way. No weapon immediately to hand. No plan. No escape. No fucking way they’re letting this thing walk off with Rowan. “Over my dead body.” they grit out.

The voice chuckles. It’s jovial and light-hearted which is honestly kind of sickening. “Tempting. But unnecessary.”

As the arm raises, Yan braces themself, expecting another body blow. They can handle that. Given the panic, the pain, the confusion, and the recent revelation, Yan doesn’t see the blow to the head coming, and everything around them goes black.

* * *

AJ runs in, feet slipping as he rushes into the building. Late. So late. So very very late.

“Sorry. Traffic was a bi-” his voice dies in his throat as he sees Yan, the guard wanted for attempted murder, sat in the office chair. Their hair is red and there’s a lot of blood dripping down the side of their face from a sizable head wound. AJ glances around, looking for any sign of the other guard. You know. The one he was expecting to see. “Did you kill Rowan?”

Yan shifts, leaning forward, eyes aflame. “I need your help on the night shift.”


	6. Day Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's been hiding in the walls?

A click, a whine, and vision returns, Rowan’s eyes coming back to life. The room he’s in is sizable, and dark, lit by a single light that’s behind the chair he’s been tied to. It throws long harsh shadows over the room, making the workshop look that much more menacing and throwing the shadow of the person behind him across the room.

Rowan tries to turn his head to get a look but a hand pushes against his cheek and forces him to keep looking at the shadows. The hands are strangely warm. Even for a human.

“Who are you?”

There’s no answer, but there’s a cough and the shadow moves. It’s not easy to figure out what it’s doing. Its proximity to the light is distorting it, and its movements aren’t making any sense. Something sparks and Rowan tenses, a shock running through him, setting off all his pain sensors. Just as quickly, it’s gone. 

“Whoops.” the shadow chuckles. “My finger slipped.”

Finger slipped? “Are you-?”

“You know you don’t really see many of the N5 series just walking around.” This fucker! They’ve got their fingers inside Rowan’s chassis. There’s no way they know he’s an N5 droid without poking around beneath his synthetic skin. “Shouldn’t you be in some factory somewhere? Working the line?”

“Get your hands off-” Another spark, cuts him off. The pain lasts longer this time.

The voice becomes stern. “Don’t be rude or I’ll disconnect your eyes again.”

Silence falls between them for a while. Soon the muffled sounds of excited kids passing by comes from the wall Rowan’s facing. The restaurant must be open. All those kids coming in.

The shadow coughs again before it asks, “Tell me your story wayward little N5.”

Rowan doesn’t want to tell this shadow anything but after less than twenty seconds, there’s another shock and his broken voice stutters as he explains that he was sick of his job, of people’s attitude. All these people telling him that he’s a robot and that makes him worthless. So he left. Walked out. Nobody stopped him, nobody questioned it. It’s assumed that N5′s know what they’re doing. Their hyper-realistic appearance is supposed to make them appeal to humans, less terrifying, more acceptable in the workplace. Given the variety of appearance in the N5 series, it’s easy to pass as human, because everyone assumes you’re human until you prove otherwise.

“Wanting so desperately to be a real boy.” the shadow smirks, “A right little Pinocchio.”

“What do you want with me?”

“Several months with nothing to tinker with but the spring trap over there.” The shadow gestures towards the spring lock suit Rowan and the others had trapped Afton in years before. “I’m having fun. You really have to love how streamlined all of this is in here.”

Rowan feels something disconnect and as he opens his mouth to protest, nothing comes out. No words, not a sound. The fucker disconnected his voicebox.

“You have nooooooo idea how much I’ve wanted a shiny new toy like you. Those animatronics are good for a healthy dose of nostalgia but it’s all old and decaying. But you!” Another spark and Rowan tenses, silently screaming, knowing that he won’t make a sound. “It’s all new and shiny and streamlined and ugh!” The shadow is getting excited, voice rising in pitch before it devolves into hacking coughs that Rowan can feel through the hand pressed against his back. It takes several minutes for the coughing to end, and a few moments of heavy breathing. Rowan tilts his head, a hand forcing him to face frontwards again. “Do you realise how much more fun I could have if I ditched the dead rabbit and just reprogrammed you?!”

That sets off all kind of alerts in Rowan’s mind, and he strains against the binds that tie him to the chair.

“Don’t like that idea huh? How do you think this ends? Your white knight bursts in through that door, guns blazing, scoops you up and you ride off into the sunset?” The shadow laughs.

There are more noises, items being moved around, and he feels as his back panel closes and the automatic diagnostic scan starts up. It comes back clear except for the disconnected voice box and that’s not right. Being a runaway N5 Rowan can hardly drop in to a repair center to get himself fixed up and there were a few issues that had been getting worse the last few months. The collision with the stage had just pushed a couple of them into noticeable realms. Rowan runs another diagnostic scan. Voice box disconnected. Everything else at peak running. But that means, the shadow’s repaired him?

Footsteps as something moves around the workspace, the shadow shrinks, moving further away from the light. A human, medium height, slight frame, short brown hair, comes into view from the side. His hands are shaking, very slight, barely visible, while dark black veins are visible on his wrists under his shirt cuff while another climbs his neck from beneath his collar. One iris dark brown while the other is inky black

He’s wearing the uniform of a day shift guard. The ones who have to stand amongst the kiddies and make sure none of them get hurt. Whereas Rowan and Yan were both able to wear white t-shirts and security jackets, day shift has to wear blue security grade button-up shirts. Something about looking more professional. There should be a Fazbear approved security badge but that’s noticeably absent. What isn’t absent is the name badge attached to the breast pocket. It’s silver with black writing that says “Lucas Patrick - security”.

As the man turns, he notices Rowan staring and glances down, getting a slightly maniacal grin as he realises what the bot is staring at. “Oh you can ignore that.” he leans in, lowering his voice to a barely audible whisper. “Most people just call me Mad.”


	7. Night 6 - Yan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just got to smoke it out.

"Is it too late for me to back out of this?”

Yan is hooking the last of the cables that lead to the various speakers they spent most of the afternoon hooking up. It’s surprising how easily they managed to walk around this restaurant given the warrant still out for their arrest. “Yes.”

AJ is sat at the security office desk looking incredibly nervous and given all the things that Yan told him, they’re not all that surprised about it. “Not that I’m not excited to be the _sole defense_ against this murderous robot you say lives in the walls, but what if I screw this up?”

Yan sighs, moving over to flip between the cameras on the screen. “You’ll be able to see where it is. You press the button,” they gesture to the small selection of buttons hooked up to the speakers, “it makes a noise and the thing will go investigate. Simple.”

“Can I at least lock the door?” If it can’t get into the room, then AJ will feel a whole lot more better.

“Door won’t lock with the animatronics in here.”

“Why would the animatronics be in here?!”

Yan frowns at AJ as though he’s just asked the stupidest question in the world and makes their way to the door. “Because the zombie bot scares them.”

“It scares me more!” AJ calls after them. Yan doesn’t hear though because they’re gone. Probably checking one of the speakers. “I’m a lot squishier than they are.” AJ mumbles.

When midnight finally ticks around, the animatronics are safe in the office, and AJ is in position, probably complaining. Yan isn’t worried though, they’ll win him over soon enough. Especially when they can’t tell him to stop talking.

The plan is simple. AJ distracts that thing, gets it out into the restaurant and Yan goes through that door, because that’s where Rowan is, there’s not a shadow of a doubt in their mind.

Yan waits on the main stage, fingers tapping against their sheathed katana. They went to grab it from their place because despite it being probably very little help, it’s more of a comfort thing. Plus it makes for an imposing silhouette, and though the zombie bot doesn’t experience fear, whoever is controlling it will.

The speaker at the edge of the stage gives out the sound of a kid laughing, the cue that Yan needs to move their butt. If this works, the zombie bot will be coming through those doors and as long as AJ does his job right, that’ll give them time to crack that door open.

Yan makes sure they’re hidden as the doors to the main room open, sticking to the shadows as the rotting robot crosses the room. About halfway across the room, Yan sees it’s almost at the speaker which means AJ will probably get it to go somewhere else, so they break from the shadows and burst through the doors to try and get out before it sees.

It takes at least five minutes to find the hairline crack, occasionally hearing the kid’s voice in the distance,. AJ seems to be keeping his head at least. That’s something. When they’ve found the door, Yan draws back, practically throwing themself at the wall, rightfully expecting it wouldn’t just open without force.

The first shove doesn’t do anything, neither does the second, but as Yan draws back to throw themself at it again, the door just opens inwards. Yeah that’s not suspect at all. Stepping into the hole in the wall, Yan’s hand instinctively reaches for their katana as they peer into the darkness beyond.

There’s a bright light in the corner that’s right in Yan’s eyes, but as they blink against it, they see Rowan tied to a chair, straining to get free and frantically mouthing at them, but making no sound. Yan leans against the doorway, giving Rowan a smile and wink.

“I’m not an idiot.” they call into the room. “I rush in, try to get Rowan free, you sneak up behind me, knock me out and feed me to your murder bot. Give me some credit.”

Rowan looks at Yan in confusion, no idea what the hell is going on but turning as a frustrated sigh comes from behind the door. Lucas, the brown-haired secret day shift guard steps out looking mildly pissed. Yan sees the uniform, clocks the name badge, and sees the inky black veins. Though they don’t get exactly what’s going on, they can gleam enough from the situation. 

“Does _nobody_ in this world have a sense of dramatics?” Lucas angrily asks towards the restrained robot. Yan raises an eyebrow at that, drawing out their katana, holding it out, the blade pointing towards the asshole. He wants dramatics, Yan is more than willing to provide. Lucas raises an eyebrow at the blade and smirks, looking up, impressed. “Well that’s more like it.”

“I’m guessing you’re the guy in charge of the zombie bot.”

“What, Springtrap?” he giggles as he steps across the space, glancing back towards Yan. “I don’t need _him_ any more. I’ve got something _much_ better.” he reaches a hand, taking a firm grip of Rowan’s nearest shoulder and giving it a squeeze, stepping behind the chair he’s attached to and looking over the bot’s head, his piercing gaze boring right into Yan’s soul. Rowan keeps moving his mouth, trying to speak but it’s no use, nothing he says is heard.

Yan doesn’t like the overfamiliarity but they don’t show it, shaking their head. “I’m not letting you leave here with him.”

“Leave? I have no plans to leave. I have a nice little setup here. Nice little workshop, murderous security system, endless supply of pizza. Why would I ever leave?”

Yan gives a non-commital shrug. “Maybe because of the fire I set in the kitchen.”

Lucas’s smirk falters slightly and his grip on Rowan tightens. “You’re bluffing.”

“You don’t have to take my word for it. You can check the cameras. Oh,” Yan raises one finger to their lips in a faux innocence, “except the one room in this building without a working camera is the kitchen.” they tut. “Darn.”

Lucas takes almost a death-grip of Rowan’s shoulder. “You wouldn’t dare risk your little robot’s life.”

They raise a single finger to silence him. “His _name_ is Rowan. And I’m taking him from you.” they point to the chair before gesturing over their own shoulder, “Then I’m grabbing AJ and the animatronics and we’re getting out of here before this tinder box burns to the ground.” They shrug. “With the shitty ventilation, it shouldn’t take too long.”

Lucas sighs in frustration, grabbing something from the work bench before turning and pointing a gun between Yan’s eyes. “Drop the ninja knife.” he orders. Yan throws the katana down despite Rowan’s silent protests. Lucas gestures towards the door with the gun. “Back out the door.”

Yan moves out the doorway, having the sense to move away and waiting until Lucas comes through, pulling a still restrained Rowan with him, his wrists now tied together. The gun stays trained on Yan, gesturing towards the nearest exit. Before they turn, Yan catches Rowan’s eye, raising their eyebrows before turning away to follow the directions.

They get a few steps before Yan calls out “Now!” Rowan throws his entire weight against Lucas, taking advantage of how close the madman is holding him to force him against the wall. Lucas drops to the floor, and Rowan stands there completely at a loss for the fact that that worked and got Lucas to let him go. Yan is on the ball though and loops an arm around Rowan, scooping the bot away and dragging him down the corridors.

Despite being right by the front door, Yan is running back into the heart of Fazbear’s. The air is starting to get thick and smoky and the temperature is starting to tick up. Rowan tries to say something, but his voice box is still disconnected. Still even if he isn’t heard, he looks pissed enough that Yan can hazard a guess as to what’s being said.

“Is something burning?” AJ asks as they approach. He’s stood in the doorway to the security office, looking understandably concerned as he sniffs at the air.

“Yep.” Yan guides Rowan, wrists still attached, towards AJ. “You’re in charge of getting him out. If he’s harmed I’m going to be pissed. Understood?” AJ nods. “Go!” Once they’re on their way. he turns to the animatronics, throwing his arms wide to make sure they keep their attention on him. “Kiss this place goodbye, calmly make your way out the nearest fire exit, and keep them safe.” he points after AJ and Rowan.

They all nod, Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica hurrying out. Foxy is right behind them but stops in the doorway as Yan passes him and heads to the office desk.

“YAAARR!” he makes a loud disapproving pirate noise. Yan turns to him.

“Someone has to make sure they don’t get out.”

This place is a bad place. It’s  got an awful reputation. It has a history of child murder. It has a maniac living in the wall, as well as a zombie bot. It’s unhygienic, pays less than minimum wage. and treats the beloved animatronics like scum. It needs to burn. And so do the two who’ve been using it as their sick and twisted personal playground.

Only one exit is open, the one that AJ, Rowan and Fazbear and Friends should be going through, so all they need to do is make sure Lucas and zombie bot are too busy fighting each other to get out. Thankfully, the speaker system should help with that.

“Here goes nothing.”


	8. Night 6 - Rowan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fire cleanses

“I’m AJ by the way.” AJ says as they finally reach the far end of the parking lot, the lumbering animatronics coming up behind them, Rowan frowns, having figured out he shouldn’t even bother trying to speak. It won’t do anything, instead he raises his wrists, still bound together, shaking them until AJ realises that maybe he should you know, untie him. Foxy finally catches up and Rowan gestures at him in confusion because where the hell is Yan? Foxy just turns and points at the building.

The fire isn’t visible yet from the outside, but there’s a big plume of thick smoke coming from where Rowan knows the kitchen to be. Fucking idiot! They actually set a fucking fire! The droid moves to run for the door, to suddenly find AJ stood in the way, looking suitably sheepish but with his arms stretched out.

“Sorry man. Yan’s orders.”  he explains. Rowan just scowls and goes to step around him. He’s stopped by Freddy’s hand firmly holding on to his wrist.

Rowan looks up and Freddy shakes his head as Chica and Bonnie move in to behind him so he can’t go anywhere. Yan talked to all the animatronics apparently and instilled them with important objective numero uno. Keep Rowan safe. Which is just great, it’s just fan-fucking-tastic because that leaves Yan trapped in the burning building on their own with a child-murderer and a madman!

Every which way he tries to pull away, nothing works. The old animatronics may be smelly and wearing down, but damn they were built to last and Rowan’s struggles have no effect whatsoever. He can’t even shout or cuss at them like he wants to, and even though he knows they won’t hear a word, he still gives it a good shot.

He stops only when Foxy steps forward and wraps old decaying arms around him, literally trapping him in place, facing away from the restaurant. It’s probably meant to be a reassuring gesture but it just makes him more upset, struggling to turn and see.

Eventually, Rowan just has to accept it, throwing his arms around Foxy and hugging the animatronic tight, burying his face into the rotting matted fur on his chest, listening to the raging blaze as it blasts through the roof and the building starts to come down.

It’s ten minutes later when the first fire truck arrives, the small cluster that they are drawing back towards the treeline. Probably best that they don’t get caught. Another ten minutes as they hear another part of the roof come down and Rowan just squeezes Foxy tighter.

This place. Something about this place is corroded and evil. It just takes and takes and now it’s going to consume Yan if that ass doesn’t get out of there soon. Rowan manages to shift so they can look towards AJ who looks about as devastated and panicked as someone so truly out the loop should probably look. Rowan reaches out for AJ’s shoulder, causing the poor guy to jump. It’s okay. They’re not in there, and any second Yan will come out too.

Rowan stops watching the clock, not able to handle this any more. A second fire truck arrives and they’re tackling the blaze from the front. AJ has shifted closer and is trying to reassuringly pat Rowan’s shoulder but he keeps getting distracted looking towards the restaurant.

Suddenly he yells! “LOOK!” and points.

Foxy turns and Rowan is able to see as a figure bursts through the side fire exit they’d come out, out of view of the fire officers and collapse to the ground. They have their shirt pulled over their mouth and it’s obvious they’re struggling to breathe at this point, taking gulping breaths for a few seconds before stumbling to their feet and running from the building.

Foxy’s hold is loose and Rowan tears away from him, racing across the parking lot, desperate to get them away, to get this put behind them. As he gets closer he watches them stumble again and hack their lungs onto the tarmac as he gets closer.

It _is_ Yan! They’re okay! Oh Rowan is SO going to kill them for this! He slides to a stop and wraps an arm around Yan, dragging the guard to their feet and hurrying them to the treeline. There’s soot or ash over Yan’s face and they can’t stop coughing. Still when they reach AJ and the others, Freddy pulls Yan into a tight hug.

“Did it work?” AJ asks.

As Freddy lets go, Yan keeps their grip. They’re smiling. “Yeah.” they gasp and cough slightly. “They’re not getting out of that.”

Rowan shoves forcefully against Yan’s chest, though the guard goes nowhere with Freddy holding them. Yan looks at him in confusion. Rowan is pissed. Yan shouldn’t try and be a hero like that, _the dumb asshole_ , and if Rowan could talk right now he would be giving Yan such a fucking earful! As it is though, the disapproving look will have to do, and Rowan pulls Yan into a tight hug.

He feels Yan smirk as he holds them. “What? You weren’t worried were you?” Rowan just holds them a little tighter.

When the police eventually arrive, they find the burnt out carcass of Freddy Fazbear’s, the night guard and the animatronics safely gathered in the parking lot and what the guard calls a ‘zombie murder bot’ in the wreckage. Rowan and Yan are long gone.

They return to Rowan’s apartment where the bot immediately throws aside the uniform and does what he can to clean himself of the feeling of sweat that came from spending a day in that secret room. When he comes out the bedroom again he’s in fresh clothes and feeling a darn sight better now. That doesn’t last since he comes into his living area to find Yan looking like shit and coughing up soot while gathering their things and tossing them into their duffel.

‘What the hell?’ he goes to say but of course Yan doesn’t hear him, so Rowan walks up to them and puts a hand on their shoulder and looks at them in confusion.

Yan gives a small smile when they see Rowan looking clean and comfortable but it doesn’t last as they continue to pack. “I can’t stay.” They reach to grab an errant shirt from the arm of the sofa and stuff it in the bag. “It’s too dangerous.”

Rowan tries to get their attention again but Yan just brushes Rowan over to the side and keeps grabbing things. Angered, Rowan goes past the couch, facing Yan and then slams his hands down hard onto the open bag, forcing Yan to look at him.

Yan looks up, yeah Rowan looks pissed. They toss the socks in their hand down. “My katana was in there. They find it, Fazbear’s will try to pin _everything_ on the disgruntled former employee who’s already wanted for attempted murder.” They grab Rowan’s hands and lift them from the bag “I’m not waiting for them to find me.”

It makes sense. And Rowan can’t disagree. Fazbear’s will do anything to distract from the potential controversy, and Yan shouldn’t go to jail. But the thought of the dumbass idiot being responsible for themself does not fill Rowan with confidence. He storms out of there.

Yan just continues to pack, glad to have finally got through to Rowan. They steal a few food things from the kitchen and stuff them into the duffel as well. Gonna need some food for the road. 

Once it’s all packed up they move to the hallway and call out, “Rowan?” They want to get out yeah but they want to at least say goodbye before they leave. There’s no response though, the light in the bedroom isn’t on. “Rowan? I have to go.”

After a moment more, they walk through the door and head towards the sidewalk. They barely get to the end of the driveway when they hear a whistle and turn back to the house.

Rowan stands in the doorway, holding a hastily packed bag in one hand, with the keys to his car held aloft in the other. Yan needs to leave. That’s inarguable. But Rowan clearly can’t trust the idiot to look after themself so if they need to go, he’s going too. And they’re going by car because it’ll be easier in the long run.

Yan tries to protest but Rowan just throws the keys at them and they scramble to catch it. He throws his bag into the trunk and grabs Yan’s bag to throw it in there too. Then he takes the keys and points towards the passenger door before sliding into the driver’s seat.

They don’t really protest, clambering into the passenger seat and settling in. They duck down as they eventually pass Fazbear’s. The fire is out but the emergency services are still there and Rowan gives a wave to AJ as the car passes by.

“You know I’ll miss him.” Yan comments after they’ve gone by.

Twenty minutes onto the road, Yan dozes off and Rowan watches them carefully. They survived Freddy Fazbear’s. Wherever this road is leading, he’s sure they can easily handle it.


	9. Custom Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing ever goes to plan

There’s a final click and Rowan feels something spark up within him before Yan takes their hands out the droid’s back panel.

“That should do it. Give me a song.” they ask, their voice a little smug.

“Screw that.” Rowan reaches for his throat as he finally hears his voice. It’s taken a while but with a little help from Google, they’ve finally managed to hook Rowan’s voice box back up and the crazy gesturing and many failed attempts to communicate are done with.

“Well the silence was nice while it lasted.” Yan laughs as they pack away the tools they’d managed to pick up. Very useful but hopefully they won’t have to use them again anytime soon.

“You’re just mad that I can talk back now.” Rowan smirks as he puts his shirt back on. Being silent has not been even remotely golden. It’s been hell.

“I don’t think I’ll notice a difference to be honest.” Yan teases. Rowan picks up the nearest take out menu and flicks it at the ass.

Yan is about to strike back when Rowan’s phone starts ringing, loud, shrill, and very hard to ignore. Caller ID says the number is ‘unknown’ but they’ve been sharing the number around, asking people to call if they think of any odd jobs they need doing. Well they need to get money from somewhere.

Clicking answer, Rowan puts the call on speaker. “You got Rowan.”

“Oh goodie.” The sly, smooth voice that comes through the speaker makes them both freeze in place. It’s been weeks but that voice is unmistakable. “I was worried for a moment there.”

Yan mouths ‘the fuck’ at Rowan who just shakes his head as he speaks. “How are you still-?”

“Among the living? Well _obviously_ I didn’t die in that fire. No thanks to your little one-man fan club.” the bitterness in his voice crackles along the line. Clearly whatever Yan did in that restaurant sits badly with him.

“Hey!” Yan scowls. Rowan hisses at Yan to be quiet as Lucas laughs in response.

“So, to show you _just_ how grateful I am, I put in a call to Cyberlife.” Rowan’s eyes go wide but it’s obvious by the confusion on Yan’s face that they don’t have a clue what that means at this point. “They seemed very interested in locating a lost deviant.”

Wrapping his free arm around his chest, Rowan shakes his head in disbelief. “They won’t find us.”

“Well they wouldn’t…..if I hadn’t turned your tracker back on while I was poking around in there.”

Rowan takes a sharp synthetic breath and tries very hard not to panic. Yan mouths ‘what’ at him, clearly panicked but not fully understanding the deep level of shit they’re currently in.

On the other end of the line, Lucas’s laughter devolves into coughs. When he stops he adds “Oh and I may have mentioned that I last saw you in the possession of an attempted murderer. So bonne chance!”

And the line goes dead.

Before either of them have a chance to react, Rowan throws the phone, full force at the wall. It doesn’t break but the glass on the screen cracks and the phone drops to the floor.

Yan steps forward. “We’re gonna be okay.”

Rowan points to the only door that doesn’t lead outside. “Get in the bathroom.”

“In the-?! Rowan now really isn’t the time to-”

“Get in the bathroom! NOW!” Rowan grabs Yan’s arm and drags them towards the strange smelling small washroom attached to their motel room. Before they can really protest, he shoves them in there, slamming the door and moving a nearby chair to jam the door closed.

There are shouts from the other side of the door, which starts to shake but Rowan doesn’t respond. There’s no point. There’s no time. Maybe if they’re preoccupied with the droid, they won’t go looking for Yan.

* * *

That bathroom door is a hardy construct and the silence from the other side of the door has only made Yan that more determined to beat it down. The first full foot smash shakes the door but it stays in place, the second forces it to buckle, but the third one just smashes through the door, Yan forcing their way through.

They don’t even stop in the motel room, knowing they won’t find him there, rushing past the other rooms down towards the main reception area. As they go, they call for the droid and the silence that comes back just angers and infuriates them more.

It’s not until they reach the parking lot and they see Rowan being carried by some stranger, led by another stranger, walking towards a Cyberlife car. They’ve got him!

Yan doesn’t think, sprinting across the parking lot, tackling the one holding Rowan, knocking the droid from their arms and giving a swift kick to knock the other’s feet out from under him. A swift punch or two and they’re both out cold. Just like Rowan.

They need to get out of there and, careful not to disturb him too much Yan carries Rowan over to their car, rushing back to the room to quickly grab the one bag they’d got into the room before slamming the door closed and tearing out the lot before the two would-be kidnappers even wake up.

Once they hit the freeway, Yan glances across to the still unconscious droid he’d bundled into the back seat.

“Rowan? Rowan can you hear me?” they call.

They watch as Rowan boots up, an eerie and unnatural experience, the stillness slowly evolving into movement that they watch through the rear view mirror. When he sits up, the droid catches sight of Yan in the mirror and freezes, staring at Yan.

“Are you okay?” They ask, still looking but there’s something off about the look Rowan is giving them right now. There’s no life to them. For the first time since they met, Yan feels like they’re looking at a robot. “…Rowan?”

The droid tilts his head at Yan in confusion “Is that the name you wish to register for me?”

“…..what?”

_…..Rowan and Yan will return…._


	10. Bad Ending

For the longest time, he’s been stuck, frozen, held in place by fear and confusion. As the fire consumes, as it tears and rips away the puppet, the cage of confusion just falls away. Leaving only new panic in its wake.

The last he’d been in the outside world, he’d been alive, he’d been breathing. The security guard promised him he’d be okay. It’ll be alright they promised. Lies. It wasn’t. He died. He died and got stuck. Years spent watching the kids around him. Hearing that song, that same damn song over and over. Screaming, shouting, desperate, afraid, but no one ever heard. No one ever came. All this time, only ever just him.

The fire doesn’t touch him as he walks among the flames. He’s long left this plane, he’s beyond the fire’s reach now. There’s a sick satisfaction as he watches this cursed restaurant burn around him. It brings him no peace though, not even as he finds the Bonnie suit that has haunted his living nightmare these last years. It’s giving out an unholy scream, screeching to the heavens but nobody up there better be listening.

Instinct guides him to take the monster’s hand in his own, seeing horrific hellish images flash through its mind as he sees what it fears in this moment, what it thinks is waiting for it. He smirks, letting it go. Burn! Burn you monster! Hell awaits!

The day shift guard is a short way away, passed out, face down amongst the flames. He’s not the same one from before, instead he’s new, clearly unwell. A touch of his arm fills the spirit’s mind with far worse images than those from Afton’s mind. Though even in amongst the nightmares, the madman is grinning, laughing and giggling.

This man is innocent, at least in these walls. Let the monster fall but let the man live, allow him to walk free. Give him the chance to die another day. Instinct, reflexes. If he was to think too hard, he wouldn’t be able to do it, but without the focus, he pulls the guard from the fire, and watches as the fire trucks try to contain the blaze.

That old place that’s never been up to code. They’ll never win. In a few hours, the sun will rise, and Fazbear’s pizza will hopefully be dead for the last time.

And from the ashes, Natemare will rise.


End file.
